Hey Mick, who was that duck you were talking to?

May 20, 2011 5:10 PM

An unfinished Donald Duck comic story, designed and roughed out with story complete, by Don Rosa! Written to promote the grand opening of Disney's MGM theme park, for one reason or another they dropped it before it could be completed. It's interesting because, in the comic book universe, Donald Duck isn't a movie star, but Mickey Mouse is -- so the duck seeks out his autograph. It even makes an explicit reference to a certain other duck....
posted by JHarris (17 comments total)

Crud, I was hoping for Howard...
posted by jenkinsEar at 6:23 PM on May 20, 2011

I'm at a bar and can't properly read this right now, but Don Rosa is so completely un-Disney and awesome that this has GOT to be good.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:36 PM on May 20, 2011

It even makes an explicit reference to a certain other duck...

Wikipedia has got our back: List of fictional ducks.
posted by RichardP at 6:51 PM on May 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

One thing that's always puzzled me: it's "Mc" for Irish and "Mac" for Scottish, right? So if Scrooge is a member of a 'clan', and if he's a classic penny-pinching Scotsman, why isn't it MacDuck?
posted by jrochest at 6:55 PM on May 20, 2011

a certain other duck... I smell crossover! Yes, it's Disney Presents Seal Team 6 and the Hunt for Osama Bin Daffy. (Too soon?)

why isn't is MacDuck?
Again, Wikipedia has got our back: Clan McDuck.
posted by sysinfo at 6:59 PM on May 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

I didn't get who the "Other" duck was supposed to be, scrooge?
posted by delmoi at 7:39 PM on May 20, 2011

With the rabbit and the bald guy? C'mon, C'MON! Spits when he talks??
posted by Redhush at 8:52 PM on May 20, 2011

Why thank you, sysinfo. Makes about as much sense as anything, I suppose. :)
posted by jrochest at 8:55 PM on May 20, 2011

how to read donald duck
posted by markvalli at 9:00 PM on May 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I was hoping for Geo Duck.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:54 PM on May 20, 2011

The other duck being referenced is Warner Bros Daffy Duck.
posted by loquacious at 11:01 PM on May 20, 2011

"Donald is so popular because almost everyone can identify with him. He has strengths and weaknesses, he lacks polish but is also very cultured and well-read." But much of the appeal of the hapless, happy-go-lucky duck lies in the translations. Donald quotes from German literature, speaks in grammatically complex sentences and is prone to philosophical musings, while the stories often take a political tone...
posted by Ian A.T. at 11:31 PM on May 20, 2011

it's "Mc" for Irish and "Mac" for Scottish, right?

Not right.
posted by Segundus at 2:32 AM on May 21, 2011

The other duck being referenced is Warner Bros Daffy Duck.
I'm not certain I read that here, but:

Donald Duck & Daffy Duck together: a swell piano duet in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'.
posted by ovvl at 8:07 AM on May 21, 2011

Don Rosa's wife was one of my middle school social studies teachers. She was *really* good. I had no idea he'd ever done anything more than "Captain Kentucky"
posted by DigDoug at 8:57 AM on May 21, 2011

In Northern Europe "Captain Kentucky" was a legendary treasure. It's come out now in these parts, but in my childhood it was one of those holy grails. It's hard for Americans to appreciate how highly regarded Don Rosa and Carl Barks are. I keep pushing US friends to read The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, but they remain reticent. It's a bonafide classic graphic novel.
posted by Kattullus at 2:49 PM on May 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

it's "Mc" for Irish and "Mac" for Scottish, right?

Not right.

Oh. Okay then. My explanation has to be Dr. Johnson's: "Ignorance, pure ignorance."
posted by jrochest at 9:45 PM on May 21, 2011